100 Things: The Joy of Pancakes (#3)
Growing up, Wednesdays were Pancake Day. My dad has always been the breakfast cook in my family, and Mondays - Fridays that usually meant cold cereal. But Wednesdays were special. I'm sure my dad looked forward to Sundays the most, b/c Sundays were some form of egg sandwich. I have never really liked eggs, though, especially not when combined w/ a meat and/or cheese, so Sundays were another cold cereal day for me. Saturdays were waffles, but if I was lucky, I might get pancakes.
It's not that my dad's pancakes were extra tasty, really. He used the Bisquick recipe and added two tablespoons of canola oil. In the summer, we had blueberry pancakes (heaven on earth). I think it was more the fact of him making them for all of us. My dad's always been an early riser, so he would be showered and dressed and in his uniform or shirt and tie (my dad was an Air Force captain and now works at a college in New England), and already flipping pancakes by the time I stumbled down the stairs. I loved that he made pancakes on Hump Day, his own encouragement to get us through the week. He'd fry up all the batter and I swear he got fewer than anyone else b/c he'd wait until we'd had our fill before eating -- and when we were kids, my brother had a hollow leg. When we lived in Norway, dad would have the breakfast table set and the almost expired I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and Aunt Jemima out already. When we lived in New Hampshire, the breakfast bar would be set and the real butter laid out, plus the real maple syrup poured into a Norwegian porcelain creamer and warmed up. And then we'd eat. He made them thin, nearing crepe thinness, and we could easily scarf a dozen each.
Now when I go home to visit, a lot of days are Pancake Day. My nieces also love pancakes. When I go to M's family's house, I always make pancakes for them, and we've grown more adventurous with the things we'll put in them, and I've started to associate them w/ summer and fuzzy drunken mornings. But for me, first and foremost, pancakes will always be home, and my dad, and the memory of warmth that will sustain you for when you open the outer door on a cold winter morning.
Thought I'd include the recipe to my new favorite pancake, the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip!
1 1/4 c. flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cloves
1 c. soy milk (will probably need more to make the pancakes more pan-y and less cake-y)
1/2 can pureed pumpkin (1/2 a 15-ounce can)
1/6 c. oil
1/6 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. chocolate chips (eyeball it)
You can probably tell from the funky measurements that I halved this recipe. This amount of batter makes 14-16 pancakes. You have a lot of guests, double it. Sift the flour through the cloves together in one bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together everything else except the chips. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix. Mix in the chocolate chips. Spray your skillet w/ Pam or some other oil spray. I usually put the heat to medium or so, and use a ladle to pour out the batter. And then I use two spatulas to flip b/c I'm not so awesome at that. And then enjoy, b/c these are awesome!
I don't actually think I have any pics of the pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes, but here's my other fav, blueberry chocolate chip:
It's not that my dad's pancakes were extra tasty, really. He used the Bisquick recipe and added two tablespoons of canola oil. In the summer, we had blueberry pancakes (heaven on earth). I think it was more the fact of him making them for all of us. My dad's always been an early riser, so he would be showered and dressed and in his uniform or shirt and tie (my dad was an Air Force captain and now works at a college in New England), and already flipping pancakes by the time I stumbled down the stairs. I loved that he made pancakes on Hump Day, his own encouragement to get us through the week. He'd fry up all the batter and I swear he got fewer than anyone else b/c he'd wait until we'd had our fill before eating -- and when we were kids, my brother had a hollow leg. When we lived in Norway, dad would have the breakfast table set and the almost expired I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and Aunt Jemima out already. When we lived in New Hampshire, the breakfast bar would be set and the real butter laid out, plus the real maple syrup poured into a Norwegian porcelain creamer and warmed up. And then we'd eat. He made them thin, nearing crepe thinness, and we could easily scarf a dozen each.
Now when I go home to visit, a lot of days are Pancake Day. My nieces also love pancakes. When I go to M's family's house, I always make pancakes for them, and we've grown more adventurous with the things we'll put in them, and I've started to associate them w/ summer and fuzzy drunken mornings. But for me, first and foremost, pancakes will always be home, and my dad, and the memory of warmth that will sustain you for when you open the outer door on a cold winter morning.
Thought I'd include the recipe to my new favorite pancake, the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip!
1 1/4 c. flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cloves
1 c. soy milk (will probably need more to make the pancakes more pan-y and less cake-y)
1/2 can pureed pumpkin (1/2 a 15-ounce can)
1/6 c. oil
1/6 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. chocolate chips (eyeball it)
You can probably tell from the funky measurements that I halved this recipe. This amount of batter makes 14-16 pancakes. You have a lot of guests, double it. Sift the flour through the cloves together in one bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together everything else except the chips. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix. Mix in the chocolate chips. Spray your skillet w/ Pam or some other oil spray. I usually put the heat to medium or so, and use a ladle to pour out the batter. And then I use two spatulas to flip b/c I'm not so awesome at that. And then enjoy, b/c these are awesome!
I don't actually think I have any pics of the pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes, but here's my other fav, blueberry chocolate chip: